Starting rod feed device for gas torches



ecu 12, 11950 E. J. CLINTON, JR, ETAL 5 3 STARTING ROD FEED DEVICE FOR GAS TORCHES Filed May 7, 1949 3. mai

INVENTORS EDWARD JCLINTON JR JOHN J. FLYNN ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 12, 1950 STARTING ROD FEED DEVICE FOR GAS TORCHES Edward .i. Clinton, .lr., Chatham, and John J.

Flynn, Jersey City, N. J., assignors to Air Reduction Company, Incorporated, a corporation of New York Application May 7, 1949, Serial No. 91,968

6 Claims.

This invention relates to starting rod feed devices of the kind used on gas torches to feed a starting rod or wire into the flame jets to effect quicker starting of the thermochemical action when cutting metal or performing such operations on metal bodies as scarfing, tie-seaming, billet gouging, and flame machining.

As is well understood in the art, the usual pre-heating period that is required to bring the metal of the workpiece to kindling temperature before the cutting or scarfing oxygen is released, can be considerably reduced by introducing the end of a rod, made of iron or other ferrous material which is readily fusible, into the torch preheating flames so that a portion of the rod melts in an extremely short time and drops on the workpiece to provide a small area of intense heat. The cutting or scarfing oxygen can then be immediately released because it reacts with the molten metal dropped on the workpiece from the starting rod to initiate a thermochemical action that heats the adjacent metal and permits the thermochemical action to be propogated in the workpiece.

Various types of devices have been proposed for feeding such a starting rod or wire into the preheating flames of a gas torch, most of them taking the form of an attachment for the torch operatively connected with the hand lever that actuates the cutting or scarflng oxygen valve 1 so that when the lever is depressed a certain amount it actuates the feed mechanism that advances the starting rod far enough for its end to project into the preheating flames of the torch, and when depressed an additional amount it opens the oxygen valve. However, most of such devices have been extremely vulnerable to the intense heat produced during the thermochemical cutting, scarfing, or othen operation because they have depended upon, the use of springs or other resilient members in the portion of the device subject to the greatest amount of heat to assist in the feeding of the starting rod, and such members are easily rendered ineifective by the heat, thus making constant repair or replacement of the starting rod feed attachment necessary.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a starting rod feed device having feed mechanism for the starting rod whose operation does not depend upon the use of springs or other resilient means in the portion of the device that is exposed to the greatest amount of heat. I

Another object is to provide a starting rod feed device having a rod-gripping member which is positively actuated, Without the assistance of any spring or other resilient member, both" to render it effective to advance the rod during the feedin stroke of the member and to render it incapable of moving the rod during the return stroke of the member, and all of whose feeding stroke is utilized to advance the starting rod.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gas torch having attached thereto a starting rod feed device embodying the invention, some parts being shown in vertica1 section;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken approximatel along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 but showing in full lines the position of the parts during the return stroke of the rod-gripping member, and show: ing in dotted lines the position of these parts at the end of the return stroke of such member, i. e., at the beginning of its feeding stroke;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the position of the same parts duringv the feeding stroke of the rod-gripping member; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 showing a detail of construction.

Referring first to Fig. l, a hand scarflng torch of the type used for de-seaming billets and similar operations is shown at In. Its essential parts are a valve block II, a head l2, gas tubes l3, M and i5 extending from the valve block to the head, a, torch tip it carried by the head, a valve l1 controlling a port ll and thereby controlling the flow of scarfing oxygen through the tube 53 to the torch head, and a hand lever I 8 for actuating the valve. The scarflng oxygen is delivered by the head ii to the tip it and is discharged through a central passage IS in the tip in the usual way. The fuel-gas and the oxygen for the preheating flames pass through passages, not shown, in the valve block H and are deliveredby the tubes l4 and I5 to the torch head l2. They are delivered by the head to the tip I6 and are discharged through the usual passages 29 in the tip to feed the preheating flames 2|.

The particular construction of the valve I! and the particular way in which it is actuated by the hand lever l8 form no part of the present invention. It should be noted, however, that the valve comprises a, stem 22 the upper end portion of which fits within a cap made of rubber or rubber composition. This cap comprises a top portion 23 connected by a tubular neck portion 24 to a base portion 25 which is clamped against a shoulder 26 by a threaded nut 21. The top portion 23 of the cap constitutes a resilient valve element Which normally closes the port IT. The upper end of the stem 22 is mechanically constrained in the rubber cap, and when the stem is retracted, i. e., moved downwardly in Fig. l, the walls of the tubular neck portion 24 of the rubber cap, which are relatively thin, are buckled outwardly, and the top portion 23 of the rubber cap is drawn away from the port I l to permit the flow of scarfing oxygen through the port. When the valve stem is released, the resilient buckled walls of the neck portion of the rubber cap are returned to normal position and the top portion 23 of the rubber cap is returned to its port-closing position.

The hand lever l8 that actuates the valve is pivoted at 28 in a yoke 29 secured to and depending from the valve block H. The hand lever has a right angle extension 30 which extends upwardly into a cavity 3! in the valve block where its upper end is connected with the rod feed mechanism as hereinafter described. A bell crank lever 32 is pivoted on a pin 33 carried by the yoke 29. This bell crank lever has an upwardly extending arm 34 which carries a pin 35. and has a horizontally and rearwardly extending arm 36 which is operatively connected to the lower end of the valve stem 22. When the valve actuating hand lever I8 is depressed a predetermined amount, i. e., moved upwardly in Fig. l, the right angle extension 30 on the hand lever bears against the pin 35 and swings the bell crank lever 32 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, thus causing the arm 36 of the bell crank lever to move the valve stem 22 downwardly and open the valve. A slot 37 in the right angle extension 36 of the hand lever l8 allows the hand lever to be depressed a part of its stroke before opening the valve ll. ment of the hand lever actuates the rod feed mechanism to advance the starting rod as hereinafter described and an additional movement of the hand lever opens the valve l! to release the scarfing oxygen.

The starting rod feed device comprises a housing 38 clamped at its upper end to the gas tubes of the torch. At the lower end of the housing 38 there is a guide 39 for the starting rod shown at B. This guide is located substantially at the level I of the preheating flames 2| so that when the rod is fed through the guide its end will project into and be heated by the flames. The guide 39 has an elongated central opening 40 in which a rodgripping clutch collar 4| can be reciprocated. The clutch collar encircles the starting rod, its central opening which receives the rod being slightly larger in diameter than the diameter of the rod. The clutch collar is carried rigidly at the lower end of an arm 42 which is best shown in Fig. 3. This arm is mounted by means of an oversize drilling on a pivot pin 43 carried by the lower end of a link which depends from and swings on a pivot pin 44 in the housing 38. In the particular rod feed device shown in the drawing this link is a composite or compound one made up of two spaced link members 45 and 46 (Fig. 2) both of which are m unted at their upper ends on the pivot pin 44, their lower ends being spanned by the pivot pin 43 from which The initial mo ethe clutch collar and its arm 42 are suspended. Since Figs. 3 and 4 are each a section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2, only the rear link member 45 appears in these figures.

A lever 41 is also mounted to swing on the pivot pin 44. The portion of this lever below the pivot pin 44 lies between the two members 45 and 46 of the link. A projection 48 on the clutch collar arm 42 extends upwardly above its pivot pin 43 and lies in the path of the lower end of the lever 41 when the lever moves in a clockwise direction about its pivot 44 as will be clear from Figs. 3 and 4. A cross member 49 carried by the lever 41 below the pivot pin 44 engages the link members 45 and 46 so that if the lower end of the lever is moved in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 3 the lever will move the link members along with it. The reason for this will be'made clear when the operation of the entire device is later described.

The lever 41 constitutes an operating lever whose movement about its pivot 44 swings the link 45-46 and thereby reciprocates the clutch collar 4!. Suitable actuating means is connected to the lever to thus move it about its pivot. Pref erably the lever is actuated by connections from it to the valve-actuating hand lever [B of the torch. In the particular rod feed device shown in the drawing the lever 4'! is pivoted on the pin 44 at a point intermediate the ends of the lever and the actuating means for the lever is connected to its upper end. The upper end of the lever 4'! is pivotally connected to a yoke 50 by a pin 5|. A rod 52 threadedly connected to the yoke extends rearwardly and is guided in a block 53 mounted in the housing 38. The rear end of the rod 52 has a head 54 which slides in a tubular member 55 which is threadedly connected at its rear end to a rod 55 that connects the tubular member with the upper end of the previously described right angle extension 30 on the valve actuating hand lever IS. A coil spring 5'! within the tubular member 55 reacts at its rear end against the head 54 of the rod 52 and at its forward end against a disc 58 located near the forward end of the tubular member. This disc is held in place by a U-shaped clip 59 that is inserted through holes or slots in the forward end of the tubular member 55 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 5. A coil spring 60 is located in a cavity in the block 53 and reacts at its rear end against the bottom of this cavity and at its forward end against the yoke 50 which is connected to the upper end of the lever 41.

In Fig. 1 all of the parts are shown in normal position by the full lines, and the dotted lines indicate the position assumed by some of the parts at the end of the feeding stroke of the rod-gripping clutch collar. When the valve lever 18 is depressed, its initial movement will not open the scarfing oxygen valve I! but will move the rod 56 and the tubular member 55 toward the right in Fig. 1. The coil spring 5'! is of sufficient strength not to be materially compressed by this movement of the tubular member so the spring will transmit the movement of the tubular member to the rod 52 and thereby swing the upper end of the operating lever 4'! from its normal full-line position shown in Fig. 1 to the dottedline position. This will compress the coil spring 50. In the initial position of the lever 41 the clutch collar 4| is in the canted position shown in Fig. l, for the reason hereinafter made clear, and thereby rips the starting rod. When the upper end of the lever 4'! is moved from left to right as just described its lower end moves from right to left. During such movement of the lower end of the lever it bears against the projection 48 on the clutch collar arm 42. This not only swings the link 4546 on the pivot pin t4 and thereby moves the clutch collar forwardly, i. e., from its normal full-line position shown in Fig. 1 toward the left, but it also biases the clutch collar arm 42 about its pivot 43 and thereby maintains the clutch collar in its canted rod-gripping position during its entire stroke. As the lower end of the lever 41 moves toward the left the angular relation between the longitudinal axis of the lever 41 and the longitudinal axis of the clutch collar arm 42 with its extension 48 changes, the angle becoming more and more acute as the lower end of the lever moves more and more to the left. Fig. 4 shows the position of the parts at the end of the feeding stroke of the clutch collar. The forward movement of the clutch collar while it is canted will move the starting rod with it through the guide 39 and cause the end of the starting rod to project into the preheating flames 2|. The movement of the upper end of the lever 4! to the right from its normal position to effect the feeding stroke of the clutch collar is arrested when the yoke 50 comes in contact with the forward end of the block 53. By this time the clutch collar will have reached the end of its feeding stroke. The amount of actuation of the valve lever l8 necessary to bring this about is such as to bring the end or" the slot 3? into engagement with the pin 35 on the bell crank lever 32 and therefore further movement of the valve lever l8 will open the scarfing oxygen valve ll. This ad ditional movement of the valve lever and additional movement of tubular member 55 toward the right is permitted by the spring 5'! which then compresses between the now stationary head 54 of the rod 52 and the disc 58 at the forward end of the tubular member 55 which continues to move toward the right during the additional movement of the valve lever. When the valve lever is released the scarfin oxygen valve 5'! closes and the coil spring iii! then moves the operating lever 47 back to its normal position. During the return movement of the lower end of the operating lever the cross member 49 comes in contact with the link 45% and from then on the link swings rigidly with the lever. Fig. 3 shows the position of the parts at about the time the cross member 39 first contacts with the link during the return movement of the operating lever. When the lower end of the operating lever first starts moving toward the right on its return stroke it moves away from the projection M3 on the clutch collar arm 42. When the cross member 49 comes into engagement with the link and the link starts moving with the lever the link starts moving the clutch collar on its return stroke. Since the upper end of the extension 38 on the clutch collar arm 42 is now free to move toward th right the clutch collar is permitted to swing on its pivot 23 and align itself on the starting rod so that it no longer grips the rod but can slide freely on it. However, there is sufficient back drag on the clutch collar while it is being moved along the rod to cause the extension 43 to again come in contact with the lower end of the lever 41 about the time the clutch collar reaches the mid-point of its return stroke. The parts are then in the full-line position depicted in Fig. 3. During further movement of the parts to bring the clutch collar to the end of its return stroke it will be seen that the lever 41, the link 45-46,

6 and the clutch collar arm together with its extension, all move as one rigid member about the pivot 44 and swing the clutch collar in an arc of a circle so that when it reaches the end of its 7 return stroke it will be in canted rod-gripping position as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. This being the beginning of the forward stroke of the clutch collar, it will be seen that the clutch collar is in canted rod-gripping position at the very beginning of its feeding stroke and is maintained in this position during its entire feeding stroke by the pressure exerted by the lower end of the lever 41 on the extension #8 of the clutch collar arm while the link is moving the clutch collar to eifect its feeding stroke.

During the return stroke of the clutch collar 4H when it does not grip the starting rod, the rod is prevented from sliding rearwardly through the rod guide 39 by a gripper pin 6| which presses against it. The pin is guided in an opening in a boss 52 in the housing 33 and has a head 63 at its upper end operating in a cavity 64 in a wall of the housing. A coil spring 65 reacts at its upper end against a plug 66 which constitutes a closure for the upper end of the cavity 6'3, and at its lower end against the head 63 on the pin to thereby yieldingly press the lower end of the pin against the starting rod. The pressure exerted against the starting rod by the pin should not, of course, be so great as to interfere with the forward feeding of the starting rod by the clutch collar.

It will be noted that the clutch collar is positively canted and uncanted without the assistance of any spring or other resilient member in the rod-guiding portion 39 of the device which is the part subjected to the greatest amount of heat. Therefore the clutch collar does not depend for its operation on any part which is like ly to lose its effectiveness by being subjected to the heat. The above-described springs 5'! and 6B are located near the gas tubes where the heat is not suiiicient to affect their operation. In the preferred form of the device the actuating con- V, nections of which these springs form a part preferably extend through the space between the gas tubes as shown. Since the clutch collar is in canted rod-gripping position at the very beginning of its feeding stroke, the clutch collar has no lost motion before it starts feeding the rod and the entire forward stroke of the clutch collar is utilized to impart movement to the rod.

The terms of orientation herein used are intended to apply when the torch is so held that the tip is directed downwardly, but the torch may, of course, be held in other positions.

We claim:

1. A starting rod feed device for gas torches comprising a clutch collar having an opening to receive the starting rod. and means for reciprocating said collar forwardly and rearwardly lengthwise of the starting rod and for positively canting the collar to cause the rod to move with the collar during the forward stroke of the collar, said means comprising a pivoted lever which extends toward the starting rod, a pivoted link which also extends toward the starting rod, the clutch collar beingpivotally mounted on said link, and means for actuating said lever about its pivot to swing the end of the lever nearest the starting rod back and forth in the direction in which the clutch collar is reciprocated, a part which is rigid with the clutch collar being arranged to be engaged by said end of the lever when such end moves forwardly whereby the clutch collar is swung on its pivot to maintain it canted and the link is swung forwardly to advance the starting rod, and a part which is rigid with said lever being arranged to engage said link during the rearward movement of said end of the lever to then cause the link to swing rearwardly and thereby impart the rearward or return stroke to the clutch collar, said part on the clutch collar then functioning to cause the clutch collar to swing rigidly with the link whereby the clutch collar will be in canted position at the end of its return stroke and the beginning of its forward stroke.

2. A starting rod feed device for gas torches comprising a clutch collar having an opening to receive the starting rod, and means for reciprocating said collar forwardly and rearwardly lengthwise of the starting rod and for positively canting the collar to cause the rod to move with the collar during the forward stroke of the collar, said means comprising a lever which extends toward the starting rod and which is mounted to swing on a fixed pivot located at one side of the starting rod, a link mounted to swing about the axis of said pivot and also extending toward the starting red, the clutch collar being pivotally mounted on said link, and means for actuating said lever about its pivot to swing the end of the lever nearest the starting rod back and forth in the direction in which the clutch collar is re ciprocated, a part which is rigid with the clutch collar being arranged to be engaged by said end of the lever when such end moves forwardly whereby the clutch collar is swung on its pivot to maintain it canted and the link is swung forwarcily to advance the starting rod, and a part which is rigid with said lever being arranged to engage said link during the rearward movement of said end of the lever to then cause the link to swing rigidly with the lever and thereby impart the rearward or return stroke to the clutch collar, said part on the clutch collar then serving by reason of its abutment against said end of the lever to cause the clutch collar to swing rigidly with the link whereby the clutch collar will be in canted position at the end of its return stroke and the beginning of its forward stroke.

3. A starting rod feed device for gas torches comprising a clutch collar having an opening to receive the starting rod, and means for reciprocating said collar forwardly and rearwardly lengthwise of the starting rod and for positively canting the collar to cause the rod to move with the collar during the forward stroke of the collar, said means comprising a lever which extends toward the starting rod and which is mounted intermediate its ends to swing on a fixed pivot located at one side of the starting rod, a link mounted to swing about the axis of said pivot and also extending toward the starting rod, the clutch collar being pivotally mounted on said link, and actuating means connected to the end of the lever farthest from the starting rod for moving the distal end of the lever nearest the starting rod back and forth in the direction in which the clutch collar is reciprocated, a part which is rigid with the clutch collar being arranged to be engaged by said distal end of the lever when such end moves forwardly whereby the clutch collar is swung on its pivot to maintain it canted and the link is swung forwardly to advance the starting rod, and a part which is rigid with said lever being arranged to engage said link during the rearward movement of said distal end of the lever to then cause the link to swing rigidly with the lever and thereby impart the rearward or return stroke to the clutch collar, said part on the clutch collar then serving by reason of its abutment against the distal end of the lever to cause the clutch collar to swing rigidly with the link whereby the clutch collar will be in canted position at the end of its return stroke and the beginning of its forward stroke.

4. A starting rod feed device for gas torches comprising a clutch collar having an opening to receive the starting rod, and means for reciproeating said collar forwardly and rearwardly lengthwise of the starting rod and for positively canting the collar to cause the rod to move with the collar during the forward stroke of the collar, said means comprising an arm attached to the clutch collar and extending upwardly therefrom, a swinging link depending from a fixed pivot above the clutch collar, a pivot which swings with the link and which pivotally connects said clutch collar arm to the lower end of the link, a lever mounted to swing about the axis of said fixed pivot, actuating means connected to said lever for moving its lower end back and forth in the direction in which the clutch collar is reciprocated, said clutch collar arm having a portion located above its pivot and arranged to be engaged by the lower end of said lever when such lower end moves forwardly whereby the clutch collar arm is swung on its pivot to maintain the clutch collar canted and the link is swung forwardly to advance the starting rod, and a part carried by the portion of said lever below said fixed pivot adapted to engage said link during the rearward movement of the lower end of the lever to then cause the link to swing rigidly with the lever and thereby impart the rearward or return stroke to the clutch collar, said portion on the clutch collar arm then serving by reason of its abutment against the lower end of said lever to cause the clutch collar arm to swing rigidly with the link whereby the clutch collar will be in canted position at the end of its return stroke and the beginning of its forward stroke.

5. The combination with a gas torch having a valve block, a torch head, a tip carried by the head, gas tubes connecting the valve block and the head, a valve in the valve block for controlling the fiow of oxygen through the torch to the tip, and a hand lever for actuating the valve, of a starting rod feed device comprising a housing secured to said gas tubes and having a rod-guiding portion located substantially at the level of the torch flames through which a starting rod may be fed into said flames, a clutch collar located in said rod-guiding portion of the housing and having an opening to receive the starting rod, and means for reciprocating said collar forwardly and rearwardly lengthwise of the starting rod and for positively canting it to cause the rod to move with the collar during the forward stroke of the collar, said means comprising an operating lever which is mounted intermediate its ends in said housing to swing on a fixed pivot, a link pivoted in said housing and which extends toward the starting rod, said clutch collar being pivotally mounted on said link, and means for actuating said operating lever about its pivot to swing its lower end back and forth in the direction in which the clutch collar is reciprocated, a part which is rigid with the clutch collar being arranged to be engaged by the lower end of the operating lever when such end moves forwardly whereby the clutch collar is swung on its pivot 9 to maintain it canted and the link is swung forwardly to advance the starting rod, a part which is rigid with said operating lever being arranged to engage said link during the rearward movement of the lower end of the lever to then cause the link to swing rearwardly and thereby impart the rearward or return stroke to the clutch collar. said part on the clutch collar then functioning to cause the clutch collar to swing rigidly with the link whereby the clutch collar will be in canted position at the end of its return stroke and the beginning of its forward stroke, the means for actuating said operating lever comprising connections between said valve-actuating hand lever and the upper end of the operating lever and extending along said gas tubes of the torch and adapted when said valve-actuating hand lever is actuated to swing said operating lever from its normal position and impart the forward rod- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Nicholson Apr. 27, 1943 Number 

